Wachusett Regional volleyball Team is James' gang

By Craig Holt CORRESPONDENT

Saturday

Mar 30, 2013 at 8:00 AMMar 31, 2013 at 12:18 AM

Though not one to dwell on the past, Wachusett Regional volleyball standout Eric James remembers that feeling of wonder two years back when watching the Mountaineers conquer opponent after opponent en route to an undefeated regular season.

“It was my second year in the volleyball program and I was just a sophomore playing on the JV team,” James said. “I enjoyed watching those guys play and learning from them. And it made me realize that I had made the right choice in opting to play volleyball in the spring. The guys were all great and the sport was fun.”

Now a senior, James believes Wachusett has a strong chance to be a volleyball power again. The team went 16-4 last year and returns most of its key performers. The Mountaineers lost a setter and one of their top hitters, but return several experienced players. Wachusett also has good athletes and a slew of 6-footers, headlined by the addition of 6-4 junior Brad Durkin, a basketball standout.

Meanwhile, James, who captains the team along with seniors Sean Sampson and Aidan Crowley, will be in the thick of things, darting, diving and slicing across the court as a starting outside hitter, his main position throughout his high school career.

Volleyball is just one of several sports that James plays. He was a member of the Wachusett soccer team last fall and looks forward to several of snowboarding. He has also played his share of basketball and baseball. That said, James' main game is definitely volleyball.

“In volleyball, there's not too much of a commitment and the practices are not as intense as other sports,” James said. “But we still have as much fun as any other sport, and we're committed to getting better as a team. It also keeps my mind off other things, helps me stay focused in school, and is an escape. And it's really a lot of fun.”

James recalls that volleyball was basically a gym-class experience prior to high school — no feeder system, no youth leagues. When James arrived at Wachusett, he saw a thriving volleyball program that provided a different athletic outlet, something that whetted his appetite.

“I got interested in volleyball because I wanted to do something different, play a sport that has a different pace than some of the other sports that I had played,” James said. “I had never really played volleyball at a competitive or structured level. So I gave volleyball a try and soon found out that I liked it. I stuck with it and it paid off.”

Honors, accolades and statistics don't mean that much to James. Instead, he is intrigued by the intricacies of the sport and the relationships cultivated with dedicated, hard-working teammates all striving for the same basic goals — winning matches and having good fun just getting better.

“We work on a lot of things in practice but there's not that much emphasis on cardio stuff, weightlifting or running,” James said. “Volleyball is about technique and form, so you don't really need the weights, like a lot of other sports. You do need strong legs for your vertical jump, so we train in that area. And it helps to be in shape.”

“Passing is extremely important — get the ball to your setters and set up the plays — we do practice hard in that area,” James added.

“But in the end, it's really all about the team, and I really enjoy this group of players,” James said. “We work hard at practice, but we have a good time. We also have good times after games, often stopping at Wendy's.”

James hopes to attend UMass-Amherst next year and would like to study engineering. James plans on hitting the books hard in college and will probably restrict the volleyball to intramurals. James added that he can play a sport like volleyball for many years after college.

James, outgoing and affable, expects Wachusett will get better as the season grinds on and newer players adjust to their roles and become more confident. He added that taking in a Wachusett volleyball match can be an exciting experience.

“If we're going to have a tough match against, say, a team like Milford, which is always good, I'd tell anyone to come up and watch us play,” James said. “Matches like these can be really intense with a lot of exciting stretches. People would probably be surprised by all the intensity. A lot of exciting things happen, and there's always some great plays.”

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